Power-applying mechanism.



UNITED srATESfrleTEN-i OFFICE j' orfro 'morrow AND wItpIiM/IBESSYERDIGH, or oLINToNvII-JLE, WISCONSIN.

: Pfuiven-ArPLvIive- I snIGIIArTISI/I.

Specification of Letters llatent.

'Patented Dec. 29, 1908.

Application filed. July `17, 1907. l Serial No. 384,197.l

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we,1OTT'o ZAoHow and WILLIAM BEssERDIeI-I, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Clintonville, in the county of Waupaca and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and `ments in Power-Applying Mechanism;- and `pelled vehicles,

we do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionofthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the Y art to which it appertains to make .and use the same. i

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in powereapplying mechanism and more particularly to thatclass adapted to be used in connection with motor-prosuch as automobiles, or the like, and our object is to provide a mechanism of this class whereby the power may be applied to both the front and rear axles.

A further object is to provide a suitable clutch mechanism for applying. the power from the driving shaft to the propelling shaft and a still further object is 'to provide'fmeans fplr fdifferentiating the speed of the propelling s a ts.

Other objects and advantages will be here! particularly tional view on an enlarged scale through the power-applying mechanism. "Fig 31is adetail sectional view of that form of power applying mechanism used in connection with steam engines.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, 1 `and 2 indicate the supporting wheels of the vehicle and 3 and 4 indicate, respectively, thesupporting axles of the vehicle.

It has been the custom, heretofore, to apply the power to the rear axles only of the automobiles, but it is our intention to apply the power to both the rear and front axles, and to this end, therefore, we provide a propelling shaft 5, which extends horizontally through bearings 6 in a housing 7, said shaft having at its opposite ends universal oints 8 and 9, respectively, to which are secured pitmen 10 and 11, respectively, said pitmen extending from the propelling shaft 5 to the useful .Improve-V axles 3 and 4, where they are secured by means of universal joints 12 and. 13 to auxiliary propelling shafts-14 and 15, respectively, said auxiliary shafts having on their outer ends bevel pinions 16 and 17, respectively, which mesh with bevel ,gears 18 and 19 on .the axles 3 and 4, and by which means said axles are driven, said pinions and gears being preferably inclosed within an oil-tight casing, thereby reducing the friction between the pinions and withoil.

- Secured to the propelling shaft 5, between the bearings 6, is ahigh and low speed gear 21 and 22, respectively, which are fixed to the propelling shaft 5in any referred manner, and with which are adaptefto mesh a friction gear 23 and a sliding gear 24, respectively. j Mounted in suitable bearings 25 in the upper end of the housing 7, immediately above the gears 21 and 2-2 and parallel with the propelling shaft 5, is a'driving shaft 26. j Fixedl to the shaft 26 and adjacent one of the lbearings 25 is a sleeve 27, one end of which is provided with a head 28, with which one face of the friction gear 23 is adapted to engage, while the opposite side of the gear 23 isA adapted to be engaged by a friction plate 29, said plate being loosely mounted on the sleeve 27 and provided with a beveled rojection 30, -which is adapted to engage a lieveled recess 31 in one face of the friction gear 23, theopposite face of said bevel gear being providedwith asimilar recess 32, in which the head 28 is adapted to take, the peripheral edge ofthe-head 28 being likewise beveled to engage the beveled wall of the recess 32, and it will be seen that whenpressure is applied to the outer face of the friction plate 29, the geary 23 will be rigidly clamped between the beveled projection 30 and head 28, thereby fixing the gear on the sleeve 27, but that said friction vgear will remain idle when not engaged by the friction plate and head.

Adjustably mounted u on the sleeve 27 adjacent the outer face ofp the plate 29, is a s ider 3,3, to which are pivotally secured c utch dogs 34, one of the ends of each of which is adapted to engage the outer face of the late 29, the pivotal points 35 of the clutc dogs being adjacent this end of the dogs@V The opposite ends of the dogs are formed into arms 36, the end faces 37 of which are beveled to engage the bevel end 38 of a bellcone 39, said cone being adapted to move gears by keeping the casing filled longitudinally on the sleeve 27 and en age and separate the arms 36, which will resu t in forcing the opposite ends of the clutch dogs 34 into engagement with the plate 29.

The sliding gear 24 is mounted upon the shaft 26, between one of the bearings 25 and head 28 and is caused to rotate with said driving shaft in any preferred manner, as by means of a feather 40, and by properly connecting the sliding gear 24 and cone 39, said gear will be moved out of engagement with the gear 22 when the cone is moved into engagement with the arms 36.

By this construction it will be seen that a high or low speed may be obtained, as, when the gear 2l is being driven through the medium of the friction gear 23, a high speed will be produced and, likewise, when the gear 22 is being driven by the sliding gear 24, a low speed will result.

InFig. 3 of the drawings we have shown our preferred form of power transmitting device to be used in connection with steam engines, and, in this instance, the extra speed changing gear is dis ensed with, as the speed of the engine may e controlled by the volume of steam used, although this form of mechanism may be used in connection with gas, or other classes of motors by attaching thereto the usual, or well-known form of speed changing gears.

When using the mechanism in connection with steam motors, the propelling shaft is made in two sections 76 and 77, the meetinv ends of which are squared and introduced into a socket in a diHerential gear 78 and, as this gear is old and forms no particular part of our invention, further description thereof is deemed unnecessary.

A driving shaft 79 is located above the differential gear 78 and has fixed thereon a sleeve 80, said sleeve having a head 81 at one end thereof, which is fixed to a coupling 82 by means of a bolt, or the like 83.

Loosely mounted upon the sleeve and adapted to mesh with the differential gear 78 is a friction gear 84, having in one face thereof a circular channel 85, the side walls of said channel being flared outwardly to receive a tapered friction ring 86, carried by a friction plate 87, said plate being likewise loosely mounted upon t ie sleeve 80 and on the o )posite side of the friction gear from the hea( 81., so that said gear will be held between the iiange and friction plate.

The plate 87 is operated in the same manner as the plate 29, clutch dogs 88 being mounted upon an adjustable s ider 89 carried by the shaft 79, said shaft eing threaded as shown at 90, so that the spider may be adjusted to or from the plate 87.

A cone 91 similar to the cone 39 is einployed for directing the clutch dogs into engagement with the plate 87, so that when the cone is moved inwardly on the driving shaft 79, the curved ends of the clutch dogs 88 will force the plate 87 into engagement with the friction gear 84 and firmly clamp the friction gear between the plate 87 and head 81, thereby causing the gear 84 to rotate the driving shaft 79.

It will thus be seen that we have provided very efficient means for driving both the front and rear axles of a vehicle, thereby increasing the speed of the vehicle and at the same time distributing the strain equally be tween the two axles.

What we claim is:

A device of the character described, com prising a driven shaft, a driving shaft, a fixed sleeve on the driving shaft provided with a headed member, a inion loose on said sleeve, a friction plate sli able on said sleeve to engage the pinion, a spider in threaded engagement Wit i said sleeve whereby it may be adjusted with relation to the friction plate, dogs pivotally connected to said spider in engagement with said plate, and a pinion on the driven shaft to mesh with the pinion loose on the sleeve.

In testimony whererof we have signed oui` names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OTTO ZACHOW. WILLIAM BESSERDICH.

Witnesses:

W. A. OLEN, VALBERG OLEN. 

